Meat is certainly meeting expectations for hip upscale lounge, a la the national trend. The drinks are delicious, and while they're nothing but typical in the realm of nouveau speak easies, they are the best drinks I've had in Louisville. Mad props for the free and fancy drinking snacks available en masse. Chocolate covered almonds, caramel popcorn, freeze dried banana chips. What a delight!
Review Source:This is one of my favorite spots in the city. The menus change more than once a year, welcoming you to frequent the establishment and explore the complex-but-still-approachable cocktails. Â The atmosphere is very comfortable, if not a little on the swanky side (in a good way!) This is definitely somewhere to take a first date, if you'd prefer to be able to have a conversation instead of the noisy nightlife that the majority of Louisville has to offer.
Review Source:What a fantastic idea for a bar theme, especially when in the same building as the restaurant, Blind Pig, that prides itself on curing and smoking it's own meats. (Also, the area is known as Butchertown.)
You could easily spend all day, and all of your liver points, sampling and sipping in this upstairs locale. Choosing a drink seems nearly impossible with exotic-sounding ingredients like st. elizabeth allspice dram, fernet branca, bonal gentiane-quina, algarrobina bitters, etc... What the funk are all these things???
Luckily, the staff knows their stuff. Our server was great at answering all our questions without having to run back to the bar to ask someone who knows.
I ordered the Pour Ol' Sap followed by the Storm of the Century, and was given a bit of the Gold-Hatted Gatsby that I particularly enjoyed.
These drink names - the best, right?
The menu is supposed to be divided up between three levels of complexity (Well done, Medium, and Rare), but I felt the ingredients list on all levels blew my mind.
Be sure you have a sober cab pre-arranged and that you arrive early because this place is popular, and you'll want to try all the things. (Don't drink all the things in one night. It can't be done.)
Spent early career in San Francisco's rich restaurant/bar scene and found Meat a refreshingly hip, eclectic cocktail bar that's serious not only about its drinks but atmosphere as well. Â Bourbon sour made old school, with freshly whipped egg whites... No T.V. screens, no fried bar food, just serious bartenders making great drinks and lot's of free-flowing conversation, that comes old school as well, face-to-face...
Review Source:I grew up in the Louisville area but currently live in NYC and have to admit that I'm spoiled by the nightlife there. Â I come home every couple months to visit family and friends and am never thrilled by the nightlife. Â Even if a venue is decent in terms of design, it's the midwest energy and lack of "look at me I'm beautiful and famous" mindset that I truly miss out of my NYC nightlife experiences. Â It's superficial, perhaps, but it's what I love about going out - the seeing and being seen part. Â
I was absolutely amazed, though, to have found Meat after a friend's suggestion. Â Again, I'm not totally up on the Louisville scene anymore but have to assume that this is currently Louisville's hottest spot? Â ...if you're wanting a trendy, eclectic, but chill nightlife experience in Louisville, this is it. Â It feels slightly exclusive as well because of its location, clientele, and mood.
I plan to go back again in a night or two, but the music was awesome (EDM lounge), the atmosphere is great - themed, quality, comfortable, contemporary - and the drinks were superb. Â I had not a single complaint other than that I wish there had been more people to meet the night I went. Â (Monday, I think?) Â
The guests were all moderately classy to high class but still mostly casual (I say moderate because a few semi-gentrified fratboy types hopped around the bar for a bit), but most of the guests were grown-up hipsters with fashion flare and interesting style, or urban nightlife seekers with clean-cut style and smoldering gazes. Â The energy was positive and fun with the potential to dance, but if you wanted to snuggle up with your partner on the couches, that was totally welcomed too.
All in all, this will be my new spot every time I return to Louisville. Â Truly blown away. Â Golf claps to the Meat team. Â This bar could sit successfully in Manhattan.
Meat is good!! Â
I loved the atmosphere, it's almost like stepping back in time to a classy speakeasy. Â I liked how extensive drink menu is laid out. On the left you have beginner drinks, a little lighter and smoother. Â In the middle you have drinks that are just a bit heavier. And you guessed it, on the right you have the advanced drinkers list. Â Being a MAN, I picked from the advanced list. Not a mistake but it was definitely a sipping drink.
The best part of Meat is the snack carousel. Â There's about 12 different little snacky items, from salty to sweet and chocolatey. Best part, no charge :)
Next time I'm in Louisville I'll be back and pick from the beginners list
I think this is one of the best bars in the country. Â In San Francisco, I would have Meat high up in the top 5 of my favorite bars, particularly in terms of their drink list. Â If the owner of San Francisco's Elixir (master bartender) were swinging by Louisville, he'd go back raving about this place for weeks.
The ambiance is ok, and their live music on weekends is cool. Â But I can't think of too many bars/lounges these days that you go to specifically because you crave their distinct, hand made cocktails. Â
The drink list is extremely well thought out and executed by the bar staff. Â Eron (one of Meat's top bartenders) is a master mixer and definitely has some old school skills. Â
A few recs, you can't miss with any of these:
A Hot Day in South Central (Tequila)
The Pendennis Cocktail (Gin)
Devils Handshake (Bourbon)
I love the look of this place. It's comfortable and inviting. It always feels a little grand to enter through heavy curtains.
I love the clever menu, divided into well done, medium, and rare. All of the drinks are complex and full of ingredients I've never heard of before. It's an adventure! A tipsy, tasty adventure!
When I walked in I was very thrown off by being greeted by a meat display in a dark hallway. Once you pass through the curtains (try not to get tangled on the way out after a few drinks!) you enter a uniquely decorated bar with a old fashioned speakeasy theme. I absolutely dug it. I really got into the relaxed atmosphere, I heard they have musicians every once in a while. It would be a really great space to catch a performance. I gave it three stars because this would never be a regular spot for me. It's $10 a drink but every cocktail is a experience. I'd go again if there was an artist playing that I wanted to check out.
Review Source:We had dinner downstairs and left our meal wanting a drink here. Map showed that it was about 0 feet from our current location. We laughed later when we realized that the reason was because Meat is UPSTAIRS. Directions to that would have been hilarious.
Google isn't that smart yet.
Enough about that. Let's talk about the drinks? I wish I could describe the menu, which is more like reading a book of ingredients you've never heard of (that I've never heard of). I like that they cite the sources of their drinks when they come from bars around the country.
We tried one each and they were delicious. You can't go wrong. The best part may actually be the turnstyle postcard wheel of snack mix. We had a lot of fun picking our on blend of bar snacks, and watching other people do the same.
This place is the bees knees! Â I send people from out of town here all the time and they love it! Â It is my absolute favorite place in the city and I absolutely adore the Bartenders. Â Marie is amazing and has crafted a fantastic and original menu. Â If you haven't traveled much, trust me, she's on point. Â The atmosphere is perfect.
Here's a hint..... I avoid it on Friday and Saturday. Â Just like every other place in Louisville it is a mad house on the weekends. Â Enjoy a quieter and more enjoyable ambiance on a weekday, you won't regret it.
Such a unique place for Louisville. I hope Louisville continues to grow and flourish with more places like Meat. The place is lovely despite the strange "meat" case you are greeted with. Once you enter through the curtains a beautiful concept unfolds before you. The cocktails are expensive for Louisville, but whatever, Louisville is cheap. Drink and be merry, because those cocktails are delicious.
The scene ranges from anthropology hipsters to bow-tie preps, which may eventually result in a 1920's bar brawl. Despite the differences this speakeasy lounge is the newest hot spot in Louisville and is a must.
Best of luck Meat!
This is my favorite bar/cocktail lounge in Louisville - a discreet, dimly-lit speakeasy-style bar that serves great cocktails...the sort of place you expect to see in bigger cities around the country. Its location in the heart of Butchertown, with no other businesses (other than Blind Pig below it) , residences or any signs of activity around it, adds to its mystique, and fills you with that feeling of excitement and mild trepidation because you're engaging in something illegal. I love the decor and the layout of the place. It's nice to kick back on the couch and sip cocktails with friends on a Saturday night while making scintillating conversation and peering around at the trendy people that frequent this place. It is best to get here early, especially if you have a bigger group, because the couches are occupied fairly quickly.
Review Source:Unfortunately I had a very bad experience at Meat. The bar tender gave me the wrong drink and when he realized I had been given it he told me I had to drink it and pay for it. I was first embarrassed and then shocked by his rudeness to me. After paying for the drink, I told him that I felt it wasn't right I had to pay for a drink I didn't order and he told me that "we aren't going to get into this tonight." Wow, I have never had such an awful experience at a bar! It was a very busy night, but being rude to the customer like this is NEVER appropriate.
Also, the drink was $10, so for that I should have gotten EXACTLY what I wanted not a completely different drink and then expected to pay for it because they were too busy to make it right! I am so very disappointed about this place.
Meat is a concept that has taken off in the larger cities, but is first of its kind in Louisville: the old-fashioned speakeasy with a twist. The decor is simple, but fits well with the theme. It looks like an abandoned warehouse turned into a bar with a few pieces of antique furniture. The lamps have the squirrel cage light bulbs (ordered from California, according to our server), which serve to complete the effect.
The drinks are all modern renditions of older models. I love the creme de violette and various liqueurs that have since become hard to find. They have at least five different types of bitters, and all the cocktails are not too sweet and are perfectly balanced. The bartender does an excellent job of reading his clientele and suggesting something that fits them. When I tasted the drinks everyone in my group ordered, I didn't like any of them but my own. Everyone else felt the same way. Â
The drinks are tres pricey for this area (everything runs 10 dollars), but it's like buying a piece of history along with your cocktail. I highly advice asking the bartender to suggest something for you, then sinking back into your green leather chair and soaking in the ambiance.
One star off for slow service (the server, not the bartender), but if they're quick to refill me next time I'm in, I'll give them the star back. Loved this place!
I could easily consume my daily amount of calories here....just drinking. Sad but true. Every cocktail is a new adventure. Sadly enough I can't make it past two before I realize a cab call is in my future, but nonetheless, I love this place. Drinks take a little longer than usual (there's a heck of a lot of things going in to your drink, duh) but so so so worth the wait.
The beer and wine are great too....all local!
As you walk in, you get the feel you are in an upscale lounge in Vegas....amazing how they created that atmosphere. Unfortunately we are in Louisville, and not so much an upscale part of the city either. My main issue with Meat, if I am ordering a $10 drink I need to know I will like what is in it. I felt like I needed to Google the ingredients to see what I was ordering. Ask the bartender you say, good luck when you finally get waited on you better know what you want. Each drink is made special so they take longer to make, thus you wait longer. So I tried to figure out why it got such good ratings if I did not enjoy my experience there at all. It is a novel idea, pretty cool with hanging meats(reminded me of a haunted house or Saw), and the overall atmosphere is one of a kind. I can see going there for a first  date and good conversation, but only staying for one or two drinks. I felt most people were there just to be seen there and feel like they were in a hip place, only to have a drink and leave. We were there on a Friday night at 11, it was busy at first but quickly cleared out by 1215, so I think most people did the same thing. You have to consider 2 things, first very few people can afford $10 drinks on a regular basis, those that can probably won't be drinking many of them or here for that matter. Second, if this is a first drink of the night place the location is not exactly where i want to start my night. Great idea but I doubt it can last in Louisville in that location.
Review Source:Not that this place needs another good review, but I thought I'd give 'em one anyhow. Â Great original cocktails, great snacks available whenever you want, and friendly staff. Â Met some people there for a friend's birthday, and I would recommend anyhting to be celebrated there would be well-served.
Review Source:I'm not gonna lie. Â This place is fancy. I mean, real schmancy. Â But I'm such a child. Â What really caught my attention (following the meat hanging, $10 drinks, and the concept of putting eggwhite in a cocktail) was the rotating "candy bar". Â It had yogurt covered dried fruit, sesame seed covered almonds, wasabi peas, dried green beans, chocolate covered raisins, and beef jerky? Yeah, beef jerky. Â Oh, and it is free.
Told you, I am five years old.
That being said, I would love to rent out this place for a party. Â Or maybe just the backroom. Â A derby party would be just fabulous, maybe with a signature Derby cocktail? Â Lovely.
The other positive reviews go into more than adequate detail on how good this place is. Â We didn't know about it until the Blind Pig staff sent me upstairs to quench my need for Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Â Their drinks menu is the best I've ever seen, especially as I can never think of what to order. Meat is super cool and I hope they have great success.
Review Source:After mounting the unmarked stairways around the corner from the Blind Pig Gastropub in Butchertown, upon entering you will be greeted by an artistically hung gallery of aging meats in a curing room. And I am not just talking about one or two meats...I mean a panoply of long and short meats hanging from hooks from the ceiling. Since I'm not sure that this new Speakeasy is well marked by a sign, this display of proteins will confirm that you are in the right place.
This new establishment is certainly a place to be visited. I was there with a group of friends on a recent Tuesday evening, on a not very crowded night, and this afforded us the luxury of sitting comfortably in a corner on very comfortable couches and chairs. We spent several minutes viewing the menu, which featured two dozen crafted cocktails in addition to old favorites. Drinks were marked on the menu with notations indicating if they were rare, medium, or well done, and each of these corresponded to the degree of intricacy in the mixing and the sophistication of the tastes. Though our group debated ordering one of the punch drinks, which was purported to serve 3 to 5 people, we each ultimately decided to order our own cocktails. Unfortunately, I forgot to jot down the name and ingredients in my drink, but I can tell you that it was white whiskey based, had a splash of a German sounding beer, and everyone agreed it was quite tasty. Everyone in our group was pleased with their libations, and several of us picked out some things we would like to try on our next visit.
The décor was 1920 Butchertown attic, with several interesting design elements, including some old fashioned Klieg lights hooks suspended from the ceiling. There is a stage in the corner, and we were told that some evenings will feature music.  The bar area was attractive, and featured a rotating candy stand with sweets available for sampling, providing me an opportunity satisfy my sugar craving.
Though proper etiquette for a speakeasy would dictate that I tell you very little about the establishment and mask the location, I don't want to deprive my Yelp friends. My advice is to saunter down to Meat, try one of their unique cocktails, and sit down with good friends for an evening of merriment.
I love this place. It is not an everyday spot (a little out of my price range for that), but for a special occasion beverage or three, it's perfect.
The atmosphere is gorgeous - the lack of signage, dim lighting, cushy couches and chairs and beautiful bar work together to create a lovely speakeasy atmosphere. I like to get just a little dressed up and meet a few friends here for drinks and conversation.
They do not serve any food. They have a selection of snack foods - dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, etc - that you can nibble on.
The cocktails are phenomenal. I have tried a sip of several at the generosity of my friends and I've been impressed with all of them. I also appreciate the variety - there is something for everyone, no matter what your liquor of choice is. I have also had their house red wine, which was very pleasant and drinkable.
On my last visit, I ordered a basic drink not on the menu - a dirty martini. The bartender began to gather the ingredients, then stopped to ask, "Vodka?" I exclaimed, "No, Gin!" and he responded with "Oooooh girl!" He then proceeded to make me the most delicious martini I've ever had. I appreciate that he made a point of making my drink to my specifications, and I'll attempt to not get into martini snobbery and just say that without gin, it ain't a real martini. *wink*
The beverages here are a delight and are meant to be sipped, not knocked back in a rush to see who can get drunk quickest.
Definitely worth a visit, and a great place to bring out-of-town friends! Also, having dinner at The Blind Pig downstairs, then hopping up to Meat for drinks makes for a pretty perfect evening.
Meet me at Meat. Â Classy line for a classy joint. Â Let me start by saying the only thing that keeps this place from getting 5 stars from me....the price of a cocktail. Â I understand they are craft drinks which I appreciate, but it is a little to steep to make it a regular spot for my crew and me. Â With that said, let's talk about what I like!
1. I love the atmosphere. Â It totally plays up the 20's speakeasy vibe that makes it seems like you are doing something just a little illegal.
2. Walking in a seeing hanging cured meats is one of the most creative and ingenious ideas I have ever seen.
3. The variety of cocktails is something to be admired, but getting a bartenders attention to purchase one is another story.
4. Comfortable seating. Â 'Nough said.
5. SNACKS! Â Rotating glass jars of peanuts, cashews, chocolate, etc. really ease the pain of a $10 cocktail.
Hit up this joint next time you are in butchertown, just make sure your ready to make your wallet a little lighter.
OK, understand going into it that it's above the hottest new restaurant in Louisville (Blind Pig) so you can go ahead and assume correctly, it will be: 1. pricey 2. worth every penny. Cocktails are $10 a pop...ouch, but you're paying for professional mixology here, oh and the alcohol content of 3 drinks in 1. Me, I went with their fantastic beer selection (Bells 2 Hearted was $4.50) and I just sipped on everyone else's cocktails, but I liked everything I tried and coughed like a sissy after each one.
Well, $10 drinks are obviously going to be good, so lets move onto why you are actually going. The ambiance is badass. You'll see in the other reviews that it is speakeasy style, meaning you are kept in a dark entryway with nothing to look at but a case of hanging meat until you show that you're at least 21. Once you prove you're not a cop- you enter through a curtained walk-in freezer entrance and get to see what all the hubbub is about. Gorgeous.
Staff is lovely by the way.
The irony has not passed me. Now for a little history so you can chuckle too.
This Meat cocktail bar is classified as a speakeasy style. Â A speakeasy, also called a blind pig, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments became popular during Prohibition. During Prohibition, the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States.
The difference between a true speakeasy and the blind pig type was that a speakeasy was usually a higher-class establishment that offered food and entertainment in addition to their illegal cocktails. A blind pig establishment was usually more of a dive atmosphere where only beer and liquor were offered, still illegally of course.
Now back to the irony...
I am not certain if this was the goal of the Blind Pig and Meat owners all along, but the downstairs establishment is your restaurant. While still trendy, you can get your meat grub on here. You'll have to check out the Blind Pig reviews for more details, but this restaurant is known for their cured meats and  fresh selections. The upstairs Meat bar is your speakeasy of it all. The only food is a rotating wheel of large candy jars filled with bar nuts, trail mix, and candy. Everything else Meat offers is pure cocktail.
When we arrived, in true speakeasy form we were carded in the lobby and then allowed to walk through the curtains to seat ourselves. There were five of us so having a couch area was perfect. The layout of this small bar is ideal for chatting with strangers. The lighting is perfectly low to enhance the looks of any date and after a few cocktails that date will remain gorgeous.
There is less insulation then you may think, but we went on a relaxing Tuesday and were fine without coats. I am sure when this place gets busy on the weekend you will not need to worry about generating any more heat. Included in the surroundings was a small stage, right now there is only a Jazz/Ertha Kit artist that plays on Thursdays around 8pm. There was only background music the night we attended.
The cocktails do come out as prepared, so for five drinks it took almost 10 minutes. There were even two bartenders that night, but if you review the menu and ingredients you can see why there is more handcrafting then your average cocktail. This is not a place to get trashed, this is a place to enjoy the taste of cocktails and your surrounding company. You will be waiting a bit for your drinks so get to talking.
The Meat play on words, comes from several elements. The business does help cure the meat for the below Blind Pig restaurant. Â You see the below restaurants future meat selections when you walk in to Meat. The lounge has some type of mosaic of the birth and death of meat behind the bar. Finally, the menu has been setup to use meat terms: Well for a rounded smooth flavor drink, Medium for a bolder drink, and Rare for the hard liquor pros.
So if your in the mood for meat head to the Blind Pig, if your in the mood for a blind pig head to Meat.
This is the bar that Louisville needed. The atmosphere is perfectly speakeasy from the moment you approach it. First, it is above Blind Pig, but you wouldn't know it unless you knew it. You can't enter through the restaurant. You have to go along the building to some wood stairs and oh, there is a sign (I'll post the pic). The door isn't labeled, but go on in. As soon as you enter, there is an appetizing display of different raw meats. Yup - you have found Meat. I love that the door check guy is in this discreet little table to the left, almost like he is making sure you are cool to enter. He gives you a large drink menu and sends you in through the drapes.
Low lighting, gorgeous exposed brick, am I in the 20s? The lights aren't fancy either - they are industrial like wire cages for the single lightbulb in each, hanging from the ceiling much as you would expect to be in a seedy place that you just kind of happened upon. Couches, seats at the bar, or random school like seating with a table that has the little attached seats.
There are nice beers, like Bells for 4.50, but for me this is a cocktail bar. Yay to the Louisville cocktail bar! They aren't playing around. Bourbon, proper simple syrup, Sazarac, various bitters. I love fancy cocktails. The way I see it is I can make a bourbon and ginger at my house. A vodka tonic, what not. And yes, it is the social aspect as to why you buy them out, but I would rather pay a few more bucks and have something I can't just throw together myself. With nice ingredients that I might not have at my bar (yes, I have a bar) to give them a shot. See what I like vs. what I love and admire the beauty of a well made drink. For me, that is worth the 10 bucks. And they are stout. This isn't going to be a single shot or less. They are strong, but drinkable, with a cool little, rare, medium, well-done key at the bottom to let you know how strong each one is, to pick according to your level.
The little jars of various fun goodies at the bar are a nice touch. Grab a little bag and silver scooper and fill it with nuts, chocolate covered yogurt, amazing beef jerky, peanut butter pretzels, etc. Ah, the little things in life.
I will positively be back here.
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